Railroad highway crossing



Nov. 1, 1932. G. FERNEDING ET AL RAILROAD HIGHWAY CROSSING 2 Sheets-Sheet INVENTO RJ Filed May 5, 1931 Nov. 1, 1932. G. FERNEDING ET AL v RAILROAD HIGHWAY CROSSING Filed May 5, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet INVENTOR WK MM ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 1, 1932 l UNIT-Eo STATES APigrela'r OFFICE GEORGE EERNEDING AND HERBERT N. WEST, or CINCINNATI, OHIO, AssIGNoRs TO v wEIR RILEY CORPORATION, or NoRwOon, OHIO, A CORPORATION or OHIO RAILROAD HIGHWAY CROSSING Applicatignmed Nay' 5, 1931. serial No. 535,114.

" This invention relates to raiiroadroad or y highwayy grade crossings and provides Inetallic floor plates forthe road or highway`iapproXimately in plane with the tread surface of-th'erailroad track rails, the floor platesv removably secured upon a substructure supported upon and-spikedto the `cross ties.A In

` out connecting directly to the rails.

@An object of the invention is to provide `a railroad crossing of Vmetallic floor plates interposed between the rails vof thetrack and vat opposite. sides thereof removably interlocked upon a substructure secured to the cross ties.

lviden a railroad highway grade vcrossing constituting metallic plates removably interi' 25 lockediwith and'uponametallic structure, the

interlock affected by movement of the plates in a direction preferably longitudinal of the rails and. retained against displacement by deflected ends of the plates bearing upon and secured tothe cross ties. v y p Another object of the 'invention is to pro vide a railroad highwaygrad'e crossingof metallic plates secured to a substructure fixed to the ties, the Yplates being of considerable length adapting the average width of cross ing to bevreached bya7pair` of plates with their relativefopposite ends deflectedand secured to thecross ties; l

Another object of the invention is to provide a railroad highway gradecrossing of Vmetallic plates'removably fixed to a sub? structurethe substructure at opposite sides of each rail connected together by means eX- vtending beneath the rail at the lties ancl'providing rests for the'rail. I

Another object of the invention istofprovide a railroad highway grade crossing with a minimum number of plates adapting each plate to be deflected yat one end to bear upon a cross tie and spiked thereto.

The number of plates required is therefore Further objects and advantages of the inf vention will be more fully set forth in a description ofthe accompanying drawings, in

` Figure 1 is a top plan view of a railroad ing to the invention with the floor plates of a dimensionV reaching one-half yof the width of the roadway. Y i

' Figure 2 is an enlarged section on line 2-2, Figure l. f l y `fFigure`3 is an enlarged section on line ii- 3, Figure l.

Figure e is a perspective view -of one of the c airs connecting the substructure at opposite sides of the rails.

' Figure 5 is a detailed cross section of the substructure at the rail, showing a modified form yof chair. a

Figure 6 is a top;A plan vview of the chair I Y y i 1 x shown as in Figure 5I V Another object of the 'invention 1s to provplane withv the tread surface of the rails of the track soa levelV and uniform surfaceis Y presented to traflic.r The structure must yield and deflect with theV rails under a heavy moving weight to avoid distortion7 andthe plates at the outside of the rail connected with the plates along the inside of the rail,` free from direct connection with theV railfand readily removable for track repair and ballasting.

" With the present inventionthe plates are of considerable longitudinal dimension so that only two plates are required to meet the width of the average highway and in this capacity materially differs from the prevailing crossings using metallic plates. The plates therefore7 for each width of the center of the highway can have their outer ends devflectedto restupon and be vspiked to the cross ties thus securing each'plate to a cross tie.

reducedpto a minimum and capable of being more securelyconnected with the substructure with less liability for accidental displacement or of becomingloosened by the breaking of one or more offthe fastening or'securing con- V nections. v`

vhighway grade crossing'-constructed accordlongitudinally of the rails or parallel there-l with, and in the preferred form comprises a pair for each width of floor plate l and disposed at the opposite longitudinal 'ends of the floor plates.

The longitudinal supports or angle irons remote from the rails are each provided 'with a plurality of angle brackets or chairs 5 while those adjacent .the rails are fixed to ll-braekets or chairs 6 spiked with the rail to the cross ties. The brackets or chairs bear a relative spacing corresponding to the cross tie spacing adapting each chair to bear directly upon the cross tie with .the vertical flange thereof fixed to the angle irons.

The chairs 6 for `the supports .or beams adjacent the rails being of ll-form provide a connecting cross plate portion for connecting the substructure at opposite sides of the rail and serve as rests for the rail.

At the inside vof each .rail non-metallic filler strips 7 and 8 are interposed between ,the web of the rail and the longitudinal beams of the substructure to appropriately space the same and provide a wheel flange groove .9 with the non-metallic filler forming thehase thereof. An insulating strip 10 is interposed between the crossing sections, longitudinally centrally of the track insulating one section from the other which is necessary whenA the rails are utilized as .conductors for electric signal service. The strip is preferably of a dimension allowing the lower end to bear upon the cross ties and the upper end flush with the top of the floor plates.

The vfloor plates l are preferably long flat steel plates, plain or toe checked on the upper side, f emovably secured or interlocked with longitudinal beams of the substructure by means of downwardly offset clips l1 depressed from the plate at suitable spacing apart valong the opposite longitudinal margins of the plate. The clipsare arranged each to engage into ,a notch 12 cut into .the horizontal flanges of the angle irons 3 and interlocked therewith by slidably longitudinally shifting or moving the plate, the clip hooking under an ,edge yor shoulder of the beam formed by the notching .so that when the plate is interlocked with the beam it is securely held against vertical displacement.

It is obvious, however, that other means may be employed for removably connecting the plates to the substructure but the means above disclosed has been found to be very eiiicient and simple.

one -at each of the opposite -sides of the-track so that the crossing is divided into Atwo sections, the sections separated by the insulating strip 10, with the sections about yone rail tied or joined bythe U-chair which supports the rail. For the average width of the highway,

`the floor plates are of a length requiring only .two plates with the depressed ends .at vrelatively opposite sides and zabu-ttingly engaging at their inner ends. Two plates longitudinal of the track can be conveniently 'handledf for a 30 foot span of highway. This is vof considerable advantage as it provides greater stability and it is easier to maintain a uniformsurface with less liability of :the ,plates becoming loosened. It also reduces the nunij j ber of plates and facilitates in making an installation.

The plates are moved inwardly for interlocking the same with the longitudinal .beams of the substructure, thus the pla-tes at one v side .of the highway move in ,a direction Vopposite to those on the other side of the lai-ghway. This enables the plates at one side `of the highway to be removed without :disturbing those at opposite sides leaving half of theV highway open for traffic, while repairs ,are being made to the track or track bed for .the other half of the highway. Each individual plate or ,any number thereofat one side .of the highway can be removed without disturbingl the others. c

The highway crossing is free from fastening connection with the rails adaptin'lr .the

rails and crossingtoyield independent ofbfeach other when depressed under weight imposed thereof, any creeping action of the rails does not effect the crossing structure and there is no opportunity for the one to distort .the other.

Before assembling or installingthe crossing in the track it is desirable to have the ties properly located and the top face yof :all the ties should be in the same horizontal plane lto give the supports for the plates uniform bearing and a proper plane.

In Figures 5 and 6, a modified form of-chair is disclosed, and adapting the same to serve vas a toe brace for the base of the rail formed by bending a portion of the chair upon itself.` The structure and configuration of the chair may be variously `modified from the design herein illustrated. The number of floor plates may be increased or decreased to meet various crossing dimensions, and .the fastening means for removably connecting the plates AVto the substructure of a type whichv would require the plates to be shifted laterally instead of longitudinally of the rails.

Having described our inventiomwe claim:

l. A railway highway grade crossing, comv prising, rails and cross ties, beams extending parallel with the rails mounted upon and secured to the cross ties, a pair thereof longitudinally adjacent opposite sides olf-a rail, chairs for said pair of beams bearing upon and xed to respective ties connecting the beam to the rail and providing a rest for the y rail, and plates supported upon and secured to said beams, the plates each having an end depressed to overlie the'corresponding ends of the beams and to bear upon and be secured to a cross tie.

2. A railway highway crossing, comprising, beams longitudinal with the railway rails xed to the cross ties, and plates-supported upon said beams interlockingly engaged therewith against Vertical displacement, the interlock aiected by movement of the plates longitudinal of the rails, and each plate depressed at one end for securing the plate to a cross tie and against displacement. In witness whereof, we hereunto subscribe our names. v

GEORGE FERNEDING. HERBERT N. WEST. 

